dot

Pluraldots

Formsdots, dotting, dotted

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A small, round mark or spot.

   Like the small round mark you make when you press a pen onto paper just once.

   She drew a small dot in the middle of the page.

   The map had tiny dots showing each town.

   Similarspot, speck

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A small round mark that shows the end of a sentence or a shortened word.

   Like a tiny stop sign at the end of a sentence.

   Put a dot at the end of your sentence.

   She forgot the dot after the short form of the word.

   Similarperiod, point

   Note
3. 3
   nouncountable

   A small mark used to separate whole numbers from fractions, or to show multiplication.

   Like a tiny fence that keeps the whole numbers on one side and the parts on the other.

   Write a dot between the whole number and the decimal part.

   In this sum, the dot means you multiply the two numbers.

   Similarpoint

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable

   A very small amount or piece of something.

   Like an ant seen from the top of a tall building.

   From up here, each person looks like a dot.

   The island was a tiny dot in the wide ocean.

   Similarbit, crumb, grain, atom, hint

   Note
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To make small spots or marks on something.

   Like tapping a pen on paper again and again to make little marks.

   Dot the map with small marks to show each town.

   Children love to dot their drawings with bright spots.

   Similarstipple, mark, dab, spot

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To spread small, separate things across a place or surface.

   Like sprinkles scattered over the top of a cake.

   Small farms dot the green hills near the coast.

   Sailboats dot the bay on a calm morning.

   Similarpepper, speckle, stud, fleck, spangle

   Note
7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To cover something with small spots of a liquid.

   Like raindrops leaving little wet marks on a dry path.

   Dot the warm bread with little bits of butter.

   Rain began to dot the dusty window.

   Similarspot, speckle, fleck, spatter, sprinkle

   Note
8. 8
   verbtransitive

   To add a dot or dots to a letter or symbol.

   Don't forget to dot the letter i.

   She always dots her i's very neatly.

   Note
9. 9
   nouncountable

   The short signal in Morse code, paired with the longer dash.

   Like a quick tap, while a dash is a long press.

   A dot is a quick tap on the telegraph key.

   The letter E is just a single dot.

   Similardit

   Oppositedash, dah

   Note
10. 10
    nouncountable

    A small point written above or below a letter as a special mark.

    The letter has a small dot above it.

    In some languages, a dot below a letter changes its sound.

    Similarpoint

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